Manufactured in 1908, this is an example of what appears to be a standard configuration Winchester Model 1873 rifle, however the final shipping destination and configuration of this specific rifle are anything but standard. The included factory letter lists the rifle in .44 caliber with an octagon smoothbore barrel when received in the warehouse on 23 September 1909, shipped the same day to Buffalo Bill's Wild West in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and charged to Cody, Bailey, and Lillie of New York. Winchester Model 1873 rifles with factory smoothbore barrels are very scarce despite their popularity with exhibition shooters around the turn of the century. On p. 549 of "Winchester's New Model of 1873 A Tribute Vol. II" by James D. Gordon, he lists only eight known examples verified by factory ledgers out of the 3,800 guns surveyed. If those numbers are extrapolated out over the total production of 730,000 Model 1873s, it equates to approximately 0.2% of total production being made with factory smoothbore barrels. The organization this rifle was charged to was the partnership between William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, James A. Bailey of Barnum & Bailey circus fame, and Gordon W. "Pawnee Bill" Lillie. Bailey had died in 1906 and his family took over his stake in the Wild West Show, however, according to a letter from Cody to George T. Beck in 1909, it appears that their stake was bought out by Cody and Lillie, news that may not have reached Winchester by the time this rifle shipped. It was around 1909 that Buffalo Bill's show, which had run since 1883, combined with Pawnee Bill's to form a new and larger show which was called "Buffalo Bill’s Wild West and Pawnee Bill’s Far East", but was more commonly referred to as "Two Bills Show". The new combined show included all the expected "Wild West" attractions such as Native Americans, cowboys, Mexican Vaqueros, and frontier wildlife, while adding in acts from all over the world including India, Australia, Russia, Scotland, and Japan. A rifle such as this one would have been ordered by the show for an exhibition shooter, particularly for "trap shooting" things such as glass or resin balls thrown into the air. These smoothbore shotguns fooled the crowds who believed these incredible shooters were hitting their targets with standard rifle cartridges, making their feats seem much more impressive. During its existence, the show featured performances by people who are forever synonymous with the Western frontier and include such notables as Buck Taylor "King of the Cowboys," Annie Oakley, Frank Butler, Sitting Bull, Johnny Baker "The Cowboy Kid," Rough Rider Billy McGinty, Pawnee Bill, Dr. William Frank Carver, Montana Frank and Calamity Jane. Wild West shows such as the "Two Bills Show" were an extremely popular form of entertainment around the turn of the century and played a pivotal role in cementing the legacy of America's Western Frontier, long after the west itself had been tamed. This rifle would have been present for the final acts of this legendary show, which continued until 1913 when financial struggles and some malicious business dealings brought the show to an end. After a few years of shuffling around to different circuses and shows, the legendary Buffalo Bill Cody died in 1917. The rifle itself, being manufactured in 1908, has the third model receiver which features the integral dust cover guide and the dust cover with gripping serrations at the rear. The top of the barrel and receiver have Winchester factory oval proofs stamped at the breech. The top barrel flat is marked with the two-line address and King's patent marking, and the caliber is marked on the upper left flat at the breech. The bottom of the cartridge elevator does not appear to have ever been marked with the caliber. The upper tang is marked with the three-line model and trademark designation, and the serial number is marked on the lower tang. The left side of the lower tang is marked "794", but the number is not repeated on the buttstock or buttplate. It is fitted with a set of "sporting sights" featuring a German silver blade front and elevation adjustable buckhorn rear (elevator a later replacement), and the upper tang has two factory drilled and tapped holes for a peep sight with filler screws in place. It is mounted with a smooth forearm and straight grip stock with a trapdoor crescent buttplate (grip knob for trapdoor absent).

Good, showing mostly a grey patina with some scattered light surface pitting, typical of a gun that saw the use of the Western Frontier by portraying it theatrically. The rear sight elevator is a later replacement. The wood shows all the typical sings of a working gun, whether in the Wild West or an exhibition shoot, including a few minor cracks, an absent sliver from the forearm, and scattered minor dings and scratches that all tell a story. Mechanically excellent. This is an opportunity to own a documented piece of the most legendary Wild West show the world has ever seen as well as a tangible piece of the history of the American frontier and an artifact that will forever be linked with two icons of the West: Pawnee Bill and Buffalo Bill Cody.